Aberdeen Beach Boulevard and the Bouley Bashers: A Response

Aberdeen’s boy racers, known locally as Bouley Bashers, have a legacy dating back to the 1960s. As Kevin notes from the 1990s a culmination of factors including urban regeneration of Aberdeen’s seafront and the introduction of anti-social behaviour powers made them the focus of local authority and police attention in response to complaints from residents and businesses. Urban regeneration including new residential, retail and leisure complexes resulted in a middle-class impetus of resident taxpayers and consumers and a related ‘Not in my Backyard’ mentality, with the boy racers viewed as ‘matter out of place’ (Douglas, 1966). However, for the young drivers this space was historically, socially and culturally meaningful and symbolic. It was here that Aberdonian car enthusiasts shared their love for cars and the space functioned as a forum for public display, acclamation and celebrity